What If the White House Offered Sestak a Job to Quit Senate Race?

Joe Sestak, who recently defeated sitting Senator Arlen Specter in
the Pennsylvania Democratic senatorial primary, had suggested in
February that the White House offered him an administration job to drop
out of the race. The White House had backed Specter in the primary race
over Sestak. White House officials have insisted, "nothing inappropriate
happened." What exactly is going on here and why does it matter?

Could
It Count as Bribery? The Washington Post implies
that, if the White House made an offer, it could constitute bribery.
"High-handed, conclusory assurances from the White House are not enough
to satisfy legitimate questions about the episode. Mr. Sestak has said
for months -- and he repeated this weekend -- that the White House
offered him a job if he would stay out of the primary race against Mr.
Specter. ... Government jobs aren't mere baubles the administration may
dangle in front of those it would like to distract from other pursuits.
... Would it be illegal? Mr. Specter said so, but ethics laws do not
seem designed for this circumstance. Ordinarily, bribery takes place in
the opposite direction."

Conservatives Consider 'Impeachable
Offense' The Washington Monthly's Steve Benen writes,
"Republicans seized on the claim as potentially scandalous. As foolish
as this may be, the GOP is genuinely excited about this. Karl Rove told
Fox News last night that the job offer may
have been illegal, because the law 'prohibits a federal official
from interfering -- a government employee -- with the nomination or
election for office.' Fox News' Fox & Friends openly speculated this
morning -- without a hint of humor -- about whether the job offer may
have been an 'impeachable
offense.'"

An Incredibly Common Practice The
Atlantic's Marc Ambinder wrote in
March when the scandal first began, "Now, trading an administration
job -- a thing of value -- for a political favor might well constitute
bribery. It is also very common. A Nexus search turns up numerous
examples." He begins with the Reagan White House openly offering a
Senator a job to keep him from running, and provides more examples from
there. "Numerous press accounts testify to its ubiquity in both the Bush
and Clinton administrations. No special prosecutor was ever appointed
in those cases; no one was ever punished."

Unseemly, But No
Crime Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington director
Melanie Sloan says, "People offer members
of Congress things all the time. ... I don't think there is any issue. I
don't see the crime." She adds, "A quid pro quo has to offer something
of value in exchange for something. ... If you agree not to run for the
Senate and we'll make you secretary of the Navy - that offers no
monetary value. It's just the unseemly side of politics."

Sestak
Must Come Clean Number-two Democrat in the Senate Dick Durban insists, "At some
point I thing Congressman Sestak needs to make it clear what happened.
... Congressman Sestak raised the issue. If there's been some confusion,
I hope he can make the facts as clear as possible. Then, as far as the
administration is concerned, they will react to that."

Why He
Wasn't Offered Navy Job Many have speculated that Sestak, a former
Admiral, was offered Secretary of the Navy. But the Washington Post's
David Weigel argues "that would have been impossible. On March 27, 2009,
the administration nominated
Ray Mabus as secretary of the Navy. It wasn't until
April 28 that Specter became a Democrat, and by Sestak's own
recollection, he was literally being courted to run the day that news
broke."

The 'Politicization' Charge The Washington Post's Dylan Matthews isn't convinced. "It's a political
appointment; its tainting by the Senate confirmation
process prevents a process based purely on finding the best person for
the job, so it's not as though the White House was corrupting a fair
process by considering electoral politics. More to the point, this
politicization is only a problem if it results
in cronies, or otherwise unqualified people, taking important positions.
It's hard to imagine this being the case with any position Sestak would
have been appointed to fill."

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